Ostial stenosis of reimplanted left main coronary artery and supravalvular pulmonary stenosis: a case report of two complications of surgery for anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery.

Background: Anomalous origin of the coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital disease. Surgical re-implantation of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) to the aorta is a definitive treatment with a good prognosis. Case summary: A 9-year-old boy was admitted with a complaint of exertional chest pain and dyspnoea. At 13 months of age, he was diagnosed to have ALCAPA as a workup of severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction and underwent coronary re-implantation of ALCAPA. Coronary angiogram displayed the high takeoff of re-implanted LMCA with significant ostial stenosis, and echocardiogram showed significant supravalvular pulmonary stenosis (SVPS) with a peak gradient of 74 mmHg. After a multidisciplinary team discussion, he underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting to ostial LMCA. On follow-up, he was asymptomatic and a cardiac computed tomography scan showed a patent stent in LMCA with an under-expanded area in the mid-segment. The proximal part of the LMCA stent was located very close to the stenotic segment of the main pulmonary artery making it a high risk for balloon angioplasty. The surgical intervention of SVPS is delayed to allow the somatic growth of the patient. Discussion: Percutaneous coronary intervention in re-implanted LMCA is a feasible option. If stenosis of re-implanted LMCA is accompanied by SVPS, the latter can be best treated surgically and staged to decrease the operative risk. Our case also demonstrates the importance of long-term follow-up of post-operative complications of patients with ALCAPA.

Clinical profiles and outcomes of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in young adults in a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical profiles and outcomes of young adults presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, registry between January 2016 and November 2017 for all patients younger than 45 years old who were admitted with STEMI. We compared this study population to a control group of patients aged 45 years and older who were enrolled in the same period. RESULTS: In total, 402 patients were enrolled; 197 were younger than 45 years. The incidence of newly diagnosed dyslipidemia was higher in younger patients (44% vs. 32%, p=0.01). Smoking was significantly more prevalent in the younger group (52% vs. 35%, p=0.001). The prevalence of pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock on presentation was significantly higher in the older group (3% vs. 10; odds ratio, 4.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.750-10.94; p=0.002). Hospital stay was also longer in the older group (4±2 vs. 5±2 days, p=0.03). CONCLUSION: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in young patients has a favorable outcome. Smoking and dyslipidemia are the main risk factors for STEMI in young individuals. The majority of young patients with dyslipidemia were not aware of their pre-existing condition. Our findings recommend local adaptation and implementation of screening programs for dyslipidemia in the young and the reinforcement of smoking prevention programs.

Colchicine for Prevention of Perioperative Atrial Fibrillation in patients undergoing lung resection surgery: a pilot randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: We carried out a pilot randomized controlled study to determine the feasibility of a large trial evaluating the impact of colchicine versus placebo on postoperative atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (POAF) among patients undergoing lung resection surgery. METHODS: Patients ≥55 years of age undergoing lung resection surgery were randomly assigned to receive colchicine 0.6 mg or placebo starting a few hours before surgery. Postoperatively, patients received colchicine 0.6 mg or placebo twice daily for an additional 9 days. Our feasibility outcomes included the period of time required to recruit 100 patients, the completeness of follow-up and compliance with the study drug. The primary efficacy outcome was POAF within 30 days of randomization. RESULTS: One hundred patients were randomized (49 to colchicine and 51 to placebo) over a period of 12 months at 2 centres in Canada. All patients completed the 30-day follow-up. The mean staff time required to recruit and to follow-up each patient was 165 min. In all, 71% of patients completed the study drug course without interruption. Patient refusal to continuing taking the study drug was the main reason for permanent drug discontinuation. New POAF occurred in 5 (10.2%) patients in the colchicine group and 7 (13.7%) patients in the placebo group (adjusted hazard ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.20-2.34). CONCLUSIONS: These results show the feasibility of a trial evaluating Colchicine for the prevention of perioperative Atrial Fibrillation in patients undergoing lung resection surgery. This pilot study will serve as the foundation for the large multicentre COP-AF trial.

Antithrombotic therapy in heart failure patients with and without atrial fibrillation: update and future challenges.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) often coexist, and patients with AF and HF have a higher risk of thromboembolic events and overall mortality compared with those with AF without HF. Additionally, the prevalence of AF increases with the severity of HF. The use of vitamin K antagonists is more unstable in patients with concomitant AF and HF, which is an independent risk factor for reduced time under therapeutic range. More recently, non-vitamin K antagonists oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have emerged as therapeutic alternatives for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular AF, as they have been shown to be at least as efficacious and safe, with less intracranial bleeding events, compared with vitamin K antagonists. The subgroup analyses of the NOAC trials in patients with AF and HF show that the efficacy and safety of these agents are likely to be similar to those observed in patients with AF and no HF. However, many gaps in evidence exist, since HF has not been consistently defined nor used as an endpoint in these trials. In patients with HF and sinus rhythm, the risk of stroke and other thrombotic events is high, and the use of warfarin has not, to date, been shown to confer outcome benefit. The benefit of the NOAC, rivaroxaban, is being investigated in HF without AF in the ongoing COMMANDER-HF trial. This review aims to provide an insightful perspective on the use of antithrombotic treatments in patients with both AF and HF, and in patients with HF and sinus rhythm, with particular attention to the NOACs, and provides background for therapeutic, outcome and trial improvement.